Current Immigration Policies

Immigration threatens insecurity in any nation in three main circumstances. In the most extreme case, immigration may represent a form of low intensity conquest, changing the demographic facts on the ground and potentially contributing to broader assaults on a host state's territory. According to Teitelbaum (1984) Israel occupation of the coast Bank has relied on immigrant settlement in the disputed region for example as did Morocco's 1975 occupation of the Spanish Saharan. Immigration may also threaten security when the pace or specific circumstances of immigration destabilize or weaken the host state. A final security issue associated with immigration comes in the form of international threats by individual immigrants or groups of migrants as exemplified by the imported revolution movements such as the Cuber - led guerrilla campaigns in Latin America during the 1960s and 1970s.

While most migratory policy flows are not threatening to security, migration control is a legitimate security concerns when unwanted immigration overlaps with or reinforces other security threats. However the economic benefit of immigration is a function of scarcity of the native labor and the dependency of the host state on immigrant labor a common phenomenal in United States. According to Kippen (2001) where migration is the only possible source of needed economic inputs, immigration becomes a matter of basic economic security.       

Thus the current immigration policies make it easier for alien hostile to the United States to enter into the united state territories or the United State's neighboring states and often leading to increase of social political insecurity. The lax immigration laws in Canada for example concerns the United State's authority. In deed the United State's government incoherent policy in immigration reflect a mix of inattention, in competency and the tug of war between the security's needs of her people and the powerful economic and ideological interest is of great importance in understanding challenges posed by migratory policies in U.S. Thus Since the dramatic terrorist attack executed by nineteen foreign men on September 11, 2001, U.S immigration policy has mainly been in the context of national security and particularly controlling the Mexico border.

However the single minded focus on the U.S Mexican border has been ruled as a misguided approach to immigration policy making and further aggravate the threats. This is because migration control requires policies that extend beyond the border. In addition migration control is only one of the aspects of the national interest in the U.S migration policy because of the underlying relationships involving immigration policy terms, national security, and prosperity and diplomacy conflict with the national interests. On the other hand immigration policy in U.S affects vital international interest although the role of immigration control is to maintain authority over a states territory making it a basic element of national sovereignty.

Functionally the current immigration policies have failed to protect U.S from the terrorist immigrant. This is immigration policy challenge according to Meyer (2005) was reinforced when the border patrol apprehended the "millennium bomber" at the U.S Canadian border. The threat of immigrant terrorism to U.S is further aggravated by the series of terrorist attacks including the 2001 bomb attack which was executed by twelve foreign men.  

In addition the link between immigration policies and good diplomatic ties with her neighbor have aggravated the risks through secular and officially undocumented immigrants. Stronger economic links and the development of regional institution like the American and Central American free trade agreement have raised the diplomatic stakes of immigration policy making. Consequently Mexico and other countries are increasingly insisting that migration policies should be subjected to bilateral and region negotiations rather than unilateral U. S action. As result politicized enforcement of immigration policy which in turns lead to xenophobia are likely to be witnessed due to the resulting number of unemployment among the host society in U.S.   

On the other hand the DEA intelligence reports link terrorism and narcotics trafficking to immigration flows although the federal agents say getting bureaucrats to understand this looming danger is difficult because most lawmakers have difficulties in acknowledging many of the problems already happening along the U.S. border due to political interests.

Additionally the United States immigration laws do not apply to US citizens whether they acquired the citizenship by birth or through the process of naturalization. Thus despite the manner of citizenship, no citizen is subjected to deportation and other restrictions attributed to United States immigration laws. As result this has led to increased links between absorbed immigrant and their mother countries and at times to organized crimes.

The issues of accountability in the federal immigration law enforcement including the accessibility of complaint procedures relating to allegations of misconduct should be addressed if the current immigration policy threats are to be minimized. This concern is for example noted by the United State civil right Commission of 1990 whose report indicated existent of widespread discrimination in the national immigration laws and in their implementation and often leading to illegal immigration in the country.

Consequently a conference by the Fraser Institute held in Toronto, Ontario in June 2007, and titled "Immigration Policy, Border Control and the Terrorist threat in Canada and the united states", identified serious threats and weaknesses in the immigration asylum and border regimes from the American perspectives. The concern of this commission is squired on none effective migratory vetting systems thus increasing the risks of terrorism within the U.S territory.

Thus in conclusion even though the current immigration policies are of great significance to the diplomatic tie for the United State's with other states governments, as well as in international economic relations they seem create security concerns mainly from the immigrant community that is hostile to the united state government. Thus there is need for reforms in so far as immigration policies and their advanced security threats are concerned in the United States as evidenced by President Barrack Obama's pledge to make immigration reform a priority.